Apple iPhone SE 4 coming in 2025 with iPhone 14 OLED display
Apple launched its last budget iPhone SE in 2022, with the previous model in 2020. However, it looks like the company will skip a year this time and release the next one in 2025. At least that’s what a new report from Korea assumes. But the wait should be worth it, because according to the report, the Apple iPhone SE 4 is coming onto the market with an innovation for the series – an OLED display. All previous iPhone SE models had inexpensive LCD panels on board.
According to the report, three display manufacturers are currently fighting for the order for the Apple iPhone SE 4. Samsung is currently ahead with a price per panel of $30, while BOE has a price of $35 and Tianma has a price of $40 to offer. Neither has won the contract yet, with Apple reportedly only offering $20 per panel, so the parties are continuing to negotiate.
The panels to be used in the next SE will be similar to those of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14. Therefore, we should assume that the Apple iPhone SE 4 2025 will have a 6.1-inch display with a resolution of 1,170 x 2,532 pixels. Peak brightness should be 1,200 nits and there may even be Apple’s Ceramic Shield glass on the front. The latter has not yet been confirmed, and Apple could save some money and increase its margin without the protection.
According to today’s Korean report, both Samsung Display and BOE have secured good returns for these panels. Tianma, on the other hand, is probably not a serious competitor as their technology currently lags behind the competition. Samsung’s advantage is that they already produce iPhone 14 panels and have all the tools there. This is probably why they can offer the cheapest price or even use existing remaining stock.
Samsung can also afford to lower the price of the Apple iPhone SE 4 to beat BOE. At the same time, the company is making significantly more profit with the panels for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 series. In the meantime, BOE needs all the additional orders it can get. The company experienced some difficulties with its iPhone 15 panels last year, which allowed Samsung to secure production capacities.
